engine noises?

[mustangprincess85]

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My 1990 2.3L has been running odd lately. About a month ago i noticed that my oil pressure guage was going all wacky. when it was cold and I started it it would not register any pressure at all until the car warmed up. I checked my oil alot, and I never needed to add any, my dipstick read it well within the guidelines. I recently (for about the past three weeks) have noticed a knocking sound in the engine. Now its worse than before, and now the oil pressue gauge kinda goes along with the noise it makes. Like, when i sztart the car it reads no pressure and once i start driving and the car warms up then everything goes to normal. but not until its warm. . If i let off the gas then the sound will go away and the pressure comes back up. Also, I have noticed that when idling my temp goes up pretty quick. And it doesnt matter if its 30 degrees outside. Once i idle the temp goes up. Also when I idle the oil pressure gauge goes down. Am I crazy or is there something wrong here? I dont really have the money to buy another car or have the engine rebuilt/new/whatever. So if its something bad what would you guys reccomend doing? Either way I'll be strapped for cash.

[droptop91]

First of all, is this a stock gauge. They are notoriously inaccurate. If so, I would get a mechanical gauge and check the pressure. This will tell you if the gauge is reading properly. Second, the 2.3 is nororious for cracking the piston skirt on the number 3 cylinder. This is becasue there is no steam hole in the head on that cylinder, an easy fix but, this will cause the head to have a hotspot and cause the gasket to leak. It will either leak coolant into the cylinder of compression into the cooling system. The lack of a steam hole in the head causes that cylinder to run hot. Ford fixed this on later heads but the problem was there till 92 when they put the steam hole in it. You can check for a leaking head gasket with a radiator pressure tester that you can rent from Autozone or Advance. Just attach the tester to the radiator cap, run the engine and watch the pressure climb. Look at the pressure rating on the radiator cap and watch for the engine to exceed that pressure as the engine is running. Also, note how fast the pressure climbs. If it climbs quickly and exceeds the rated pressure, there is a good chance that you have a leaking head gasket. Just a few suggestions that you might want to try. I have had several 2.3's that have had the same problem. When I removed the head, I had them cut, drill a steam hole and replaced the #3 piston. Had no problems after that.

[lorryuncori]

Hi! I'm Lorryuncori.
How are you?